In or out? Cowboys' Jerry Jones still vague on fates of Kiffin, Callahan

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Vernon Bryant/Staff Photographer

Dallas Cowboys tight end Gavin Escobar (89) leaps over Philadelphia Eagles strong safety Nate Allen (29) for a touchdown during the first half of play at AT&T Stadium in Arlington on December 29, 2013. (Vernon Bryant/The Dallas Morning News)

Jerry Jones didn’t hesitate in definitively answering yet again Tuesday that Jason Garrett will return as the Cowboys’ head coach.

The Cowboys owner was lukewarm, however, when asked about the futures of defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin and offensive coordinator Bill Callahan.

Will Kiffin and Callahan return for the 2014 season?

“Well, I’m pleased we have them,” Jones said on KRLD-FM (105.3). “I know that when we got them, I’ve never had as many people talk about, ‘Boy, you have really added a plus to your coaching staff.’ Now, we had a rough year, but we didn’t necessarily have a rough year because of coaching, in terms of our defense.

“So, all of that will be considered when we look forward. I haven’t really sat down and discussed it, looked at it. I don’t know how much thought Jason has given to it during the latter part of this season. But we’ll be looking at that in the future. There’s no hurry on that.”

The good news for Kiffin and Callahan: Tuesday’s response from Jones wasn’t as eye-opening as his statement three days after the regular season ended a year ago when he said, “I can assure our fans that it’s going to be very uncomfortable the next few weeks and months at Valley Ranch.”

Garrett was given the chance to quash any doubt about the return of his offensive and defensive coordinators Monday when he was asked about their futures.

Garrett passed.

“I don’t want to make those evaluations right now,” he said.

In other words, Kiffin and Callahan should hold off on any major purchases early in 2014.

This was Kiffin’s first season as the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator. The team’s transition from a 3-4 to a 4-3 defense was about as bad as it could have been.

Like in 2012, injuries depleted the Cowboys’ defense early and often in 2013. The Cowboys finished last in the NFL in total defense. They allowed a franchise-record 6,645 yards, and the 432 points they gave up was just four shy of another club mark for futility.

Jones didn’t take injuries into account a year ago when he fired defensive coordinator Rob Ryan 10 days after the regular season ended in Washington. And Ryan’s defense finished 19th overall in 2012.

Kiffin became the Cowboys’ fourth defensive coordinator in five seasons when he was hired two days after Ryan was fired last January. Ryan was given two years to make his scheme work before Jones ran out of patience.

Do the Cowboys want to throw in the towel on Kiffin just a year into their transition to the Tampa 2 scheme? Kiffin, 73, said Sunday night he’s not ready to retire. Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said Monday on KRLD-FM that the club isn’t trying to get Kiffin to retire, either.

The logical choice to replace Kiffin would be Cowboys defensive line coach Rod Marinelli, the Bears’ former defensive coordinator. But Marinelli is loyal to the core — he left Chicago despite the Bears wanting him back because his good friend, Lovie Smith, was fired. And if Kiffin isn’t retained, Marinelli could follow his longtime friend out the door, too.

Also, Smith is a head coaching candidate with numerous openings across the NFL and could try to get Marinelli to join him if he’s hired.

Then there’s this: Marinelli and Kiffin were practically co-defensive coordinators for the Cowboys. So don’t they pretty much take half the blame for the porous unit?

As for Callahan, this was his first season as the Cowboys’ play-caller, and though it was never seemingly a smooth ride, Dallas finished fifth in the league in scoring (27.4) and 16th in total offense (341.3).

When evaluating Callahan, how much credit do the Cowboys give him for the improved play of the offensive line? Callahan also is the team’s offensive line coach.

A move here could be as simple as Garrett returning as the offensive play-caller.

Jones said Tuesday the Cowboys “won’t have the changes we had last year in the coaching staff area” when they changed offensive play-callers, hired new defensive and special teams coordinators and added five assistant coaches in addition to moving Wes Phillips to tight ends coach.

Jones said Kiffin and Callahan remain under contract.

“There are others that are under contract and there are some that are not,” Jones said. “The real world is, since we haven’t addressed this thing, is whatever their contract status is, and I don’t want to get into that, but whatever it is, it is.”

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